News of an early November snowstorm and unseasonably cold temperatures are dominating Minnesota news sources. MPR News notes that, with snow totals expected in the 8-12 inch range, travel will be tricky on Monday and Tuesday.

WCCO is already getting into the school closings announcements, with a story saying that the Minneapolis school district says it doesn’t anticipate canceling classes.

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Get outside the boundaries of the state and the rest of the nation is hearing about the approaching weather. CNN's coverage notes that "...Minneapolis could soon get a foot of snow...with the Minnesota city experiencing below-freezing temperatures that could last for eight days."

USA Today has a story about what it's calling a "monstrous storm system" that is heading our way. The system, which gained power in Alaska, is expected to cause the jet stream to "buckle," pushing cold air into much of the continental USA this week.

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"It looks like winter's starting early," said Bob Oravec, National Weather Service forecaster.

The Huffington Post noted that the cold air, fueled by the remnants of Typhoon Nuri, is generating a high-pressure system that will allow frigid air to blanket the central plains and the Upper Midwest.

That's expected to send temperatures plunging, with high temperatures forecast to be below freezing on Tuesday across much of the area from Wyoming to Minnesota and parts of Iowa, said Bruce Sullivan of the National Weather Service's prediction center.

The Weather Channel, which pioneered the naming of winter storms and has persisted in pushing the monikers, has dubbed this one "Astro." (Yep, like Elroy Jetson's dog.) So that's what it means when one of their meteorologists-in-shortsleeves (too busy to put on the jacket?) intones that "...Astro is poised to lay down a swath of heavy snow from Montana to Michigan in the days ahead." In the words of another cartoon dog: "Ruh-roh."

Meanwhile, many Minnesotans are looking at the weather reports with a characteristic combination of resolve, dread and humor. Take a look at the tweets that are flying ahead of the snowflakes.